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A Story About A 
Little Good Boy 

1795 




GENERAL PELEG WADSWORTH 

t748— 1829 



A 

STORY ABOUT 

A 

LITTLE GOOD BOY 

How he became a great man and 
had little good boys of his own 




Gen. Pcleg Wadsworth defending his home 
(From an old ^.,f,i6' :, ; ; 



PORTLAND. MAII^E 
J903 



E. ■•■ ^^ 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Receive^; 

AUG 20 1903 : 

^Copyright Entry 

cuss ^ a XXc No 

COPY B. 



Copyright J 903 by 
LUCIA WADSWORTK LONGFELLOW 

Portland, Maine 



' ; £*rivately Printed 
■ Vt'the Press of 
Lefavor-Tower Company 



TO THE READER. 



Ninety-six years ago this story was written in 
the city of Philadelphia for some little boys in 
Portland, Maine. 

The story is awtobiographicaL Through its 
tjnconscioos revelation we learn how Peleg Wads- 
worth, its writer, grew up to be a man of heart 
and courage and charming personality. 

In the story, we know him more particularly 
as the ** Little Good Boys, ** devoted and admon- 
ishing Papa. In his private history, we know 
him as a graduate of Harvard College, a soldier 
of the Revolution, a member of Congress, and an 
honored and beloved citizen of Portland, where 
he built a house, spoken of at the present time as 
the ** Wadsworth-Longfellow House,^ whose 
rooms, the favorite shrine to-day of pilgrims 
passing through the town, are filled with treas- 
ures of a bygone age, and overflow with dear 
memories and old associations. 

Of the personal appearance of Peleg "Wads- 
worth, gentleman and soldier, we have the 



111 



following: word picture, found in a letter from his 
daughter Zilpah : 

** Imagine to yourself a man of middle age, well propor- 
tinedt witli a military air, and who carries himself so truly, 
that many thought him tall. His dress, a light scarlet coat, 
buff small clothes and vest, full ruffles over the hands, white 
stockings, shoes with silver buckles, white cravat bow in 
front, hair well powdered and tied behind in a club, so called/* 

Let us add to this picture a three cornered 
black felt hat, which among other family relics 
may still be seen in the old house. 

Of the character of Peleg Wadsworth, surely 
there can be no more complete summary than 
that briefly recorded on the stone which marks 
his grave: 

** He was a Patriot, Philanthropist and Christian/' 

Of his high thinking and feeling, of his natu- 
ral grace of expression these few chance selections 
from his many delightful letters are best able to 
testify* 

In the first, a letter to his wife, we obtain a 

pleasant knowledge of his affectionate intercourse 

with his family* 

^Philadelphia, 24th Jan'y. J799 
Not a line, my love, have I to acknowledge this morning 
from any of my dear family. I know it is not because I 
have lost their love, but I suppose it is because they are agree- 
ably engaged some other way amongst themselves. This is 
not an unpleasing idea to me for I delight in their enjoyment. 



IV 



I hope John and the sisters will not cease to engage the 
attention of the little boys to something that may be useful 
and improving The behaviour of the little ones of a family 
very much depends upon the attention paid them by the great 
ones. I promise myself that my little ones will not suffer by 
the neglect of their elder brothers and sisters, but that they 
will at all times concur and cooperate with their Mama in 
rearing the little branches 

In about a month after this reaches you, my dear, I hope 
to be with you. The time will soon be past. The hours 
are in full pursuit of those that have gone before, and are 
lessening dow^n the mass of time. All we have to do, my 
love, is to improve them as they fly ; to seize the present mo- 
ment and to do with a good will all we find to do. The 
past is gone ; the future may never reach us ; neither are 
now in existence Tis what we are is all the question. One 
thing be assured of — 

I am your very affectionate husband, 

P Wadsworth. 
written in Philadelphia, April J 6, 1800. 

In a letter to his daughter Zilpah, replying to 
one which contained his daughter's confidences 
on the subject of a rejected suitor, he says : 

** I believe, my dear, that love is an involuntary passion, 
that it is an essential ingredient in matrimonial happiness, and 
that that voyage ought never to be undertaken without a 
sufficient stock of that indispensable article. Unless the way 
is lighted by that ethereal spark, it will be at the best but dark 
and gloomy. 

This passion of all others ought to be treated with ingenu- 
ity, candor and tenderness, for it is a spark of Deity ; without 
it, this world is a wilderness, and well has it been said by 
Inspiration, ** Where love is wanting, all is wanting, yet how 
often is it treated the very reverse and instead of being the 
great source of happiness, it is made the snare and bane of 
life. 

You will perceive, my dear, that I would never advise a 



cowple to enter the state matrimonial, where there was not a 
mutual affection. Till that shall happen to any or all of my 
children, I shall be very happy to have their company in my 
family as at present, and I will try to make them as good and 
as happy as I can ** 

In a letter to his wife, written in "Washington, 
January, t803, we find a liberality of thought 
in regard to religion quite unusual at that time* 

** In the morning, we all went to church in the capitol ? 

Dr. Grant our chaplain, gave us what some would call a 
Hell-fire sermon — I could not join with him in more than 
half he uttered and yet he called upon me to believe or be 

d d. Now I do not believe that my faith depends upon 

my will although we are apt to believe or think we believe 
what we wish to believe, yet unless I am convinced of the 

truth of a fact, how can I believe it to be so ? The God 

whom I have heard preached to day was a vindictive God, 
very different from my God, However I have charity for the 
preacher and have no doubt he has been preaching what he 
believed to be the word of God But then I must claim the 

same liberty which he has taken, to judge for myself 

I ever wish to instill into the minds of my family the principles 
of benevolence, justice and good morality, that is a love to 
God and love to man, and with these they shall have the lib- 
erty to chose their own mode of putting them into practice/' 

The Portland house was built ten years before 
the writing of the story to the ** little good 
boys/' 

It has generous rooms of fine proportions, and 
a broad stairway, whose low steps were especially 
designed for the comfort of the mistress of the 
mansion* The many windows face on the front 



VI 



toward the sea and on the back, across a long 
garden toward distant hills and the sunsets But 
that was in the days when the house was sur- 
rounded by green fields* The town has crept 
about it now, and it looks upon a busy street* 
In the rear there still remains a suggestion of the 
old garden with its elm trees and syringas and 
lilacs, and from the western windows one has a 
glimpse of the sunset sky. 

An historic house in the midst of the pleasant 
town, it bears witness silently but with gentle 
eloquence, to the underlying principles of good 
building, principles, which the illustrious grand- 
son of Peleg Wadsworth later expressed in song* 

Build to-day then strong and tftie, 
With a firm and ample base^ 
And ascending and secure 
Shall to-morrow find its place* 

It was to the first children of this house, the 
Wadsworth children, one of whom in after years 
became the mother of the poet Henry Wads- 
worth Longfellow, that this story, with its divi- 
sion into fifteen little volumes, was written, and 
sent week by week in as many letters* 

Fifteen little volumes, each of a single chapter, 
containing a most varied and entertaining nar- 
ration of an old time childhood, boyhood and 



Vll 



manhood! The ofiginal manuscript is now 
the cherished possession of a granddaughter, 
Mrs* Lusannah Wadsworth Hubbard of Hiram, 
Me. 

One of the concluding chapters gives a descrip- 
tion of the writer's capture during a period of 
military duty on the coast of Maine* An inter- 
esting supplement to this account may be found 
in the following extract from a letter written by 
General Wadsworth to his wife, after he was 
taken prisoner at Thomaston* 

Bagaduce, Fort George J 9th of Feb. J 78 1. 

It is with supreme gratitude, my dear Betseyt that I ac- 
knowledge the preservation of my sweet family in the late 
hostile conflict. I recall to have seen my whole Family, ex- 
cepting my Little Charles, for whom I am under much appre- 
hension, knowing that his Zeal and activity is such that he 
would certainly have come to his Father's aid, had he been 
awake, altho but five years old. Heaven grant that the dear 
boy may be safe. I am extremely afflicted at the idea of 
your situation. The windows dashed, the Doors broken, the 
House torn to pieces and Blood and Slaughter around. You 
without help — without your Bosom Companion. 

After I left you I was conducted to the giggt then taken on 
Board a Small Privateer commanded by Mr. Lang and 
landed at Bagaduce on the afternoon of the same day. On 
my passage and since my arrival I have received the great- 
est Civility and am treated according to my rank. My 
"Wound is as fair as possible, it being with a Musket Ball 
passing through my left arm just above the Elbow, touching 
the Bone without fracturing it 

The enemy's Party consisted of fifteen men, two of which 
were badly wounded, besides the one left at Mr. Fales, who 



VIII 



if living I desire may have good care taken of him, as also 

old Hickey, who lay wounded in the kitchen 

I pray you would send me by the bearer four shirts, 2 pair 
Breeches a Westcot, Coat, Stockings, Buckles, Stock, and 
Hanger and Waist Belt, with an account of your situation - - 
My best wishes attend my sweet Family. 

Adieu 

P Wadsworth. 
Mrs. "Wadsworth. 

Long departed is the hero of this story, and 
the beautiful young lady his wife. Long silent 
are the ** little good boys ** for whom the story 
was written, and the lovely young girls, who 
were their sisters, yet they seem to breathe and 
speak again, to go in and out of the rooms of the 
old house, and to watch from its windows for 
the coming of the post with the eagerly expected 
letters, as with ever increasing delight we read 
the pages of these fifteen briefest of volumes, 
sent from Philadelphia to Portland, some hun- 
dred years ago. 

HARRIET LEWIS BRADLEY. 

96 Fifth Avenue, New York. 
April, J903. 



CHARACTERS IN THE STORY. 



PARENTS OF "LITTLE BOY P/^ Deacon Peleg and 

Lusanna Sampson Wadsworth. 
" LITTLE BOY P/* Peleg Wadsworth, writer of the story, 

born in Duxbury, Mass., 1748. Died in Hiram, 

Maine, 1829. 
" THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY *\ Elizabeth Bart- 

lett, born in Plymouth, Mass., J 753. Married 

to Peleg Wadsworth in J 772. Died in Hiram, 

Maine, J 825. 
U. URIAH, brother of ** Little Boy P.^' 

g* I UNKNOWN PLAYMATES. 

DOCTOR DEANE, 1 

ESQUIRE FROTHINGHAM, \ ^ . , ^.,. 

^ Prominent Citizens 

ESQUIRE FREEMAN ^^ ^^^^^^^^^ 

MR. MERCHANT STORER, | 

MR. PRINTER WAIT, J 

GENL L. General Solomon Lovell. 

OLD HICKEY. Soldier and afterward life long dependant 

of General Wadsworth. 



CHILDREN OF GENERAL PELEG WADSWORTH 
AND ELIZABETH HIS WIFE. 

A. ALEXANDER, 1774-1775, the little boy who died in 

camp at Dorchester. 
CHARLES. Charles Lee Wadsworth, 1776-1848. 
SISTER ZILPAH. The oldest daughter, 1778-1851, 

mother of the poet Longfellow. 
SISTER B. The second daughter, Elizabeth or Betsy, 

sometimes called ** little girl E ", 1779-1802. 
JACK. John Wadsworth, 1781-1880, an accomplished 

scholar and linguist. 
LUCIA. The third daughter, 1783-1864. 
HARRY. Lieut. Henry Wadsworth, U. S. A., 1785-1804, 

killed before Tripoli. 
GEORGE. 1788-1816. 
ALEXANDER Scammel. 1790-1854. Commodore in the 

U. S. Navy. 
SAMUEL. 1791-1874. 
PELEG. 1793-1875. A General in the Militia of Maine. 



XI 




STORY ABOUT A LITTLE 
GOOD BOY HOW HE BE- 
CAME A GREAT MAN AND 

HAD LITTLE GOOD BOYS OF 

HIS OWN 

VOL. I 

ONCE there was a little Boyt his name was 
P*-^' & he had a little Brother whose name was 
U^t hut U was not so big as P. Those two little 
Boys, P & U lived in the country* Now P was 
a pretty good little Boy sometimes, & he was a 
very good Boy to go to school & the Master 
always callM him a very good scholar, tho some 
folks callM him a Rogue, because he lookd like 
a Rogue — but that was not true — for if he did 
look like a rogue that did not make him one, for 
he always said his prayers night & morning & 
did not swear nor speak wicked words as the 
Boys did L & S* with whom P* & U used to 
play* Now L & S were two cleaver Boys ( if 
they had not used such bad words ) they lived 

*PeIeg* tUfiah, 



a little off of P & U and P & U used to be 
naughty sometimes & they would run away to 
Play with L & S* to get Birds Eggs, without 
asking their Mama's Leave, who was often much 
frighted about them lest they should be lost or 
fall down off of a high Tree when they were 
getting the Eggs out of the poor little Birds nest, 
& kill themselves — how crewel it is for little 
Boys to get away the poor little Birds Eggs when 
they have taken so much pains to build their 
Nests & taken so much pleasure in laying their 
Eggs in them to hatch their little young Birds ! 
Did you never see how sorry the poor little 
Birds are when they flutter round a Boy when 
they think He is going to get their Eggs or their 
young ones? They seem to cry & take on as 
much as your Mama would do if the Indians 
were going to catch her little Boys & carry them 
away. But as I was going to say P was a pretty 
good Boy & was always sorry & frighted when 
he heard L & S swear so, & thot that He would 
never swear himself because it was wicked & 
would make God angry with him, but yet P & 
U loved L & S very well & were very fond of 
running away to Play with them* One Evening 
when it was warm weather all four Boys P & 
U & L & S had been playing out in the Corn 
field & runing & hiding amongst the high Corn 
till it was almost dark & then they thot they 
would go into the Stack yard where there was a 
great many stacks of hay & play there* So they 
all went & run round the hay Stacks a spell & 



that did not do much hurt, but at last they 
boosted one another up upon the Stacks of hay 
which was naughty because it wasted the Hay 
& spoiled the Stacks — did you ever see a Stack 
of hay, my little Boys ? This Stack yard was 
close to P & U's Papa's house, and by & by 
when all the Boys were on the top of the Hay 
Stacks ( I don't know how the last got up ) & 
it was pretty dark, & they were hollowing 

The End of the first Vol : to be continued 
Philadelphia J7 Jany J795 



VOL. II 

JUST at the time that those little Boys P & 
U. & L & S* were all on the Top of the Hay 
Stack hollowing (as I said) P & U*s Papa * came 
out of the House to see what was the Noise & 
when he found all the little Boys on the top of 
his Hay Stacks, he felt very angty at them be- 
cause they were so naughty as to spoil his 
Stacks* & He came softly along towards the 
Stackyard — & as he was getting over the fence 
the little Boys spying him, jumpt & run ; but P 
& U's Papa catchd three of them and gave them 
a good whipping* P saw his papa a little sooner 
than the rest, but was not able to make it known 
to them ; so he slipt off in the dark rather sooner 
than they so as to escape a whipping, & ran & 
got into the house where there was a great deal 
of Company, before his Papa — by & by his 
papa came to the door & calld P. R but P was 
by this time got into bed in the Bed Room with- 
out any one noticing him, altho He past thro 
the midst of them, all frighted as he was lest he 
should get a good whiping too, for he knew 
what was to pay with the three boys that were 
catch^d, for he heard them cry before he reached 
the House* So P laid still & did not answer* 

*Deacon Peleg Wadsworth of Duxbufy, Mass*, J7J5-J774. 



This I think was naughty, fof if He had been 
naughty & his Papa called him, I think He 
should have answered when he heard his papa 
call, altho he had got a whipping by it, but as I 
was saying, P* laid still & his papa came in & 
sat down with the Company & went to talking 
as if nothing had happened, & glad was P. by 
& by when U had done crying he came creeping 
into the hcd Room to go to bed too, & there he 
found P« & he did not know but P. had had a 
whipping as well as himself — & he says P* 
have you had any supper ? P said no he did 
not want any & told U that he had better come 
to bed without his, as there was Company & if 
he was hungry in the Morng when he waked, 
he could get up & get a good Crust* So U went 
to bed & both went to sleep. Their Mama*, 
before she went to bed, after the Company was 
gone, asked where the little Boys were that they 
did not come to their supper* Somebody looked 
into the bed room & said they were both abed & 
fast asleep She wondered when they went to 
bed & why they went without their supper* 
The next morning P's papa was not angry, & 
said if He had catch'd Him last Night he should 
have whiped him because he was very naughty 
to tear his Hay Stacks to pieces* P told his 
Papa he was very sorry & would not do so 
again, & so his Papa forgave him & they (P & 
U) were both very good Boys for a long time 

*Losanna (Sampson) Wadsworth* 



after^ They did not get up on the Hay Stacks 
again, nor run among the Corn to break it 
down, nor run away to rob the poor birds & 
frighten their Mama — but, as I said, they were 
both very good; P because he had escaped a 
whipping & U because he had had one* 

The end of VoU H. to be continued. 



VOL. m 

P* was a very good Boy generally & a very 
good Scholar as I told yott, and as he grew 
bigger he began to go to the Schools that were 
farther off^ for in the Country they do not have 
a School all the time in one School House as 
they do in Portland but when they have kept 
School long enough in one Place, then the Mas- 
ter goes to another place & keeps there to teach 
other folks* little Boys. But then He will let 
those little Boys that are very good come to his 
other School if they are big enough to walk so 
far. So P as he grew bigger & bigger went 
farther & farther till at last he was big enough 
to go to all the Schools in the Town* And there 
was four Schools. The nearest was one mile of f, 
one was two miles, one was three Miles & one 
was four miles off — I suppose you think that it 
would take a great deal of time for a little Boy 
to go so far to School every day — But the little 
Boy was now grown bigger P. was grown as 
big as Jack * & tho it did take him two hours to 
go to the farthest School yet he did not loose the 
time, & P had to go alone too — for his little 
Brother U was less than he was, & was not hig 
enough to go so f ar & L & S did not love their 

* John "Wadsworth. 



School well enough to take so much pains to go 
to school but had rather stay at home to play 
with their little Boats & Vessels in the little 
ponds they made in the Brooks by damming 
them up & going a birds egging in the summer 
& playing Ball almost all the time — tho their 
papa would have been glad they should have 
gone to school all the time* when P found that 
He had to go so far alone, he did not much care 
for that, for he knew how to improve the long 
Walk so as not to loose the time — He would 
get up early in the morning & while his Mama 
or his Sisters were getting him some Bread & 
milk for his Breakfast, P was combing his Hair 
& washing his Face & hands (for P was a very 
neat Boy) & by the time he had eat his Break- 
fast (for he did not wait for the Family) his 
Mama would give, him some Bread & Cheese or 
something else that was good to put into his 
pocket for his Dinner, and so P always set out 
very early to go so far to school — As soon as 
he was going on alone — P would always say 
his Prayers as he went along — and pray God 
not to let anything hurt him as he was going 
along or the whole day, that God would help 
him to learn his Lesson well — that he might 
become a great & a good Man — As I said P al- 
ways began his walk by saying his Prayers — 
tho he had said them once already before he got 
out of bed in the morng* After P* had pray'd 
God to keep him safely all day, he always took 
out his Book & began to learn his Lesson by 

8 



heart & by studying as he went along he iogtot 
to be tired a walkings & by the time P had got 
to the School House he had got a good long 
Lesson, and the Master would wonder how P 
could come so far & yet get so good a Lesson* 
He did not know that P studied his Lesson 
walking, till he told him of it* 

End of the III Vol : to be continued 



VOL. IV 

P was a pretty Scholar as I told yott, & tho' 
he knew how to improve his time very well in 
School time & the Master was very fond of him 
yet He, P, was as fond of play as any of the 
Boys at noon time — All the Boys stay at the 
School house in the Gauntry at noon time be- 
cause their homes are too far off to go home at 
noon & so they all carry Something to eat in 
their Pocketts & when they have eat it up, then 
they have nothing to do but play till the Master 
comes in the Afternoon* After School was done 
at night P had a great way to walk home, but 
as some of the Boys lived his way he was not 
alone, & as far as the Boys came with him they 
were merry enough ; & by the time P got home 
it was almost dark, & he was quite hungry & a 
little tired too* P was very well beloved by 
every Body because he was a good Boy & He 
was now grown quite a large Boy & so Folks 
called him Master P* As Master P was so fond 
of his School his papa did not make him do a 
great deal of work, but let him go to School al- 
most all the time, & bought him books & let 
him learn all he could* In a year or two Master 
P had grown up almost as big as Charles * & 

* Charles Lee Wadswofth, the General's eldest son. 



\0 



had learnM to write & cypher, & english Gram- 
mar & Greek & Latin & was so good a Scholar 
that his Papa let him go to College — The Col- 
lege is a great School for young Gentlemen ; & 
Master P was now a young Gent, himself* So 
now we will call him Mister P — now what do 
you think is become of U & L & S, why V\\ tell 
you, U was not big enough to go so far to 
School along with P, till P had got so far before 
him that he could not overtake him & he had 
rather stay at home & work than go to School 
& L & S did not love their School at all when 
they were little Boys, & now ahho they are all 
grown up as big as Mr P, yet they dont look 
half so well, nor know half so much — & so I 
believe I will not say anything more about 
them, 

Mr P was living at College all this time & He 
liv'd there four years. A young Gentleman 
ought to learn a great deal to live at College 
four years. And then he went home again to 
his Papa's House to live in the Country — Soon 
after, some Gentlemen wanted Mr P to go to 
Town * to keep School & teach thetr little Boys. 
So now Mr P has become a Schoolmaster him- 
self & he had twenty pretty little Boys in his 
School, He loved them all very well & the lit- 
tle Boys loved their Master, Mr P, as well as he 
did them, & FIl tell you how & what he taught 
them, that made their School such good fun to 

* Plymouth, Mass, 

u 



the little Boys & so agreeable to their Master* 
For, as I have just told you, they were very fond 
of one another — The little Boys were all Gentle- 
men's sons & they were all well dressM with good 
Cloths & were well bred, for they behaved very 
well indeed* the biggest of them was about as 
big as Harry f & the least of them about as big 
as George t* In the next Volume I will tell you 
how the School was kept that made it such good 
fun for the little Boys to go there* 

t Henry Wadswor th and George "Wadsworth, two of the 
little boys for whom the story was written. 

End of the IV Vol : to be continued 



12 



VOL. V 

MR« ?♦ kept his School of twenty little Boys in 
the Court House in the Town of Plymouth a 
great way off of Portland. There was a nice 
large room made in one End of the Courthouse 
Floor for the School to keep in & when the little 
Boys went out of the School Room, there was a 
fine great Floor for them to run about upon. 
But I am going to tell you all about the School 
— "When the School Bell rung in the morning all 
the little Boys come running to the School nearly 
together, & then they attended prayers. For 
Mr. P always went to prayer with the little Boys 
when the School began in the Morng & when it 
was done at night. I wonder if the Schoolmas- 
ters in Portland, go to prayer in their School. 
You can ask Harry. "Well, after prayers were 
over, the little Boys took their singing Books & 
sung a Hymn or an Anthem & Mr P sung with 
them ; for Mr P had learned all his little Boys 
to sing most beautifully & your Papa thinks 
that he will learn his little Boys & all his folks 
to sing Hymns, & Anthems too, when He comes 
home. Should you like to learn ? Well Mr P's 
little Boys used to sing beautifully as I told you — 
& when it was a pleasant morng all the Folks 
would stop as they went along by the Court- 
house to hear them sing, & they all said they 

J3 



were beautiful little Boys, or else Mu P could not 
have taught them so welL So when they had 
done singing & had laid away their singing 
Books, they all took their Lesson books & all of 
them began to read at once about as loud as you 
have read to your Papa or mama* This to be 
sure made a mighty buzzing* Do you remem- 
ber what a noise the Bees used to make when 
they were swarming & flying all about in our 
Garden, well the little Boys made just such a 
Buzzing as the Bees did when they were all read- 
ing together* But no matter for that, every one 
was trying to get his Lesson first* As soon as 
they had read over their Lessons so as to say 
them — They were all hush in a Minute* And 
so they began One by one & said their Lessons 
nicely to Mr P. & then some went to writing & 
some to cyphering & some of the little tiny Ones 
began to get another Lesson or else sat quite still 
in their Places, & they did not read loud any 
more that time & they did not whisper at all, 
for Mr P did not like it if they whispered* And 
sometimes when the little Boys were very good 
Mr P would let them all go out into the Court- 
house Floor to play a little while* But what 
pleased the little Boys the most of all was Mr P 
got them all every one of them a little Gun with 
a Belt & tin Bayonet. You have seen the sol- 
diers in Portland & you know how their Guns 
& bayonets look ; well they lookM just so, & 
every little Boy had a Gun & Bayonet & they 
had two little Drums a little bigger than 

H 



Georg^e's, & so when the school was done at 
eleven oCIock, Mr P would exercise the little 
Boys in the Courthouse Floor* And he made 
them behave very well & they looked just like a 
Company of little pretty soldiers^ for all they 
were only little Boys, they could march & handle 
their little Guns most beautifully — & two of 
them could drum too, & so they would go 
marching & druming all about the Courthouse 
Floor when Mr P told them to, & gave them the 
word of Command* All the Gents* in the town 
& sometimes the Ladies too would come to the 
Courthouse when the School was done to see 
those pretty little Boys exercise, & they were all 
very well pleased, & the little Boys too & so was 
Mr P* I will tell you more about the School in 
the next Volume, how Mr P had Knots to pin 
on the little Boys if they were good & if they 
were naughty too* 

End of Vol V 
to be continued 



t5 



VOL. VI 

YOUR Papa promised you a story about the 
Knots* Mr P had three Knots pind upon each 
little Boys Name one was red, one was blue & 
one was black, thus 



® 9 9 


9 


® o o 


O 9 O 


d « 


O O O 


d « ® 


o o ® 


® O ® 


9 o o 


O O O 


® ® o 


® 9 « 


O « « 


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® O 


o o o 


<S> O O 


® o e 


® ® o 



If Mr P's little Boys had been very good all 
day, & had learnM their Books & behaved very 
well, then He pind the red Knot on to the Collar 
of their Coat when they went out of School after 
Prayers at night, that their Papas & Mamas & 
all the Folks along street might know what fine 
Boys they had been, & if they had not been 
'very good & did not try to learn their Books 
very much & did not behave very well, then 
Mr* P put on a blue Knot, & then everybody 
knew they had not been very good ; but if they 
had been naughty, then came the black Knot — 



\6 



O how awfully it did look ! Every Body knew 
they had been naughty Boys, & their Papas & 
Mamas would not let them come into the Parlor 
when they went home especially if there was 
Company there, but would tell them to go away 
into the Kitchen, for they did not like to have 
any Boys in the Parlour but those that had red 
Knots on. The little Boys if they happened 
sometimes to get the blue Knot, felt a little 
ashamed because they did not have the red one, 
& they were not taken much Notice of ; but 
when they had the black one — O dear! how 
sorry & ashamed they were* They used to go 
home another way, for they were ashamed to 
be seen in the street, and nobody would speak 
to them without it was to say — there goes a 
naughty little Boy with a black Knot — He 
looks as if he had been crying. But if a little 
Boy with a red Knot went along street. He was 
not ashamed for everybody knew he had been 
very good because he had a red Knot, & the 
Gent. & Ladies would often call them & give 
them something — sometimes they would give 
them a Book & sometimes money to buy them 
something that their Mamas were willing they 
should buy for themselves, a Penknife, or a Ball or 
a Top, or a Batt, or some pretty Books or any- 
thing that was clever ; for their Parents as well 
as every Body always loved the little Boys with 
red Knots and did everything they could to 
make them glad & let them play as much as 
they pleased at proper times, for People all lov^ 

J7 



to see them playing because they were so very 
good. These little Boys never swore nor called 
wicked Words when they were at play, nor 
qttarreird, for if they did then they would have 
a black Knot next time ; but as I said they were 
always very good* They were very good na- 
tured to one another, & they did not like to 
have any naughty boys to play with them. 
And if any naughty Boys did come, & sware & 
call wicked Names if they could not make them 
go away they would go away themselves & 
leave them — & they could always do that you 
know — For little good Boys could at any time 
run home & leave the bad boys to play by 
themselves & that is much better than to stay & 
play with them & hear them sware & quarrel, 
for if any Gent, or Lady was to see a little Boy 
with a red Knot amongst bad boys that were 
swearing & quarrelling they would think that 
they were bad too, & say, may be they will have 
a black one next time. 

Seems to me, your Mama might have Knots 
for her little Boys. Thus 



George 

9 O 


Alexr 


Samuel 

9 9 


Peleg 


Q 9 



Bobs ! there is one too many But Pa — there 
is but two Knots on our Names I Where is the 
red One ? Why look you little Rogues is it not 
on each of you — O so they are, Pa! 

End of VI Vol. 
J Feby J795. 

18 



VOL* VII 

Phila. 5 Feby 1795. 

WHEN Mr P had kept School long enough He 
did not want to keep any longer & so the little 
Boys Papas got another Man to keep school in 
the room of Mr P* but they did not love him so 
well as they did Mr P* because he did not love 
the little Boys so well himself as Mr P did, & he 
did not exercise them with their little Guns as 
Mr P did, nor he did not sing with them & he 
had no Knots* But if any of them were naughty 
he would whip them & if they were good he 
said nothing to them & so the Gent* & Ladies 
as they went along street, nor their Pa^s & Ma's 
when they got home, did not know whether 
their little Boys had been good or not ; for they 
had no Knots on. The little Boys were very 
sorry when Mr P. went away & they all cry'd 
when He told them he had done keeping their 
School, & Mr P was sorry too & he could not 
help crying a little himself neither, because he 
loved them so well. 

Mr P was now grown up quite a great Man 
as big as your Papa & He thot it was time to do 
something else besides keeping School so as to 
get some Money to build himself a House, for 
He could not get much money by keeping 

t9 



School, if He could he would rather have kept 
school with his pretty little Boys than to have 
left off — But as I told you He could not get 
money enough to build a house by keeping 
school & so he was forced to leave off keeping — 
For Mr P* was acquainted with a very beautiful 
young Lady * where he kept school & he wanted 
her to go & live him & he ought to have a 
House you know to live in for they could not 
live out of doors* And so Mr P* went a little 
way into the country & kept a shop & had a 
great many things to sell & got a good deal of 
money & then Mr P went back to Plymouth 
where he had been keeping school to see his 
beautiful young Lady, & told her if she would 
be married to him & would go & live with him 
in the Country & help him keep his shop, he 
guessed they should soon get money enough to 
build a house of their own to live in instead of 
hiring one* As I told you she was a very beau- 
tiful young Lady & she was very good too* 
And so she said she would go* And so Mr* P 
& the beautiful young Lady were married to- 
gether & went to live in the Country to keep his 
shop — And they got a good deal of money & 
had a beautiful little Boy, his Name was A* f 
He was about as big as your little brother Peleg* 
He could walk & run about, but he could not 
talk, only say Pa & Ma* 

* Miss Elizabeth Bartlett of Plymouth. 
t Alexander Scammell "Wadsworth. 

20 



So Mr P & his beautiful Wife were living in 
the Country with their sweet little Boy & getting 
a good deal of money ; & were riding about in 
the Country when they were a mind to, & were 
very happy & lived sweetly together — when a 
great many wicked Men came in Vessels acrost 
the Sea to fight & kill all the Folks, & so Mr 
P was obliged to leave his beautiful wife & sweet 
little Boy to go along with a great many other 
Folks to fight the wicked Men that were come 
over the Sea in Vessels to kill all the good folks 
— Mr P was a Captain, & had a Company of 
Soldiers like Capt* Weeks or Capt. Davis or Capt 
McLellan & they had guns & Bayonets that 
would shoot — they were not little wooden 
Guns & tin bayonets, such as his little Boys had 
in schooL Mr P was very sorry to go away & 
leave his beautiful wife & his sweet little Boy 
but he was forced to go & fight the wicked men 
or else they would come & kill him & his wife 
& his little boy too — And so Capt P (for Mr P 
is now got to be Captain P) marched off with his 
Company of Soldiers to fight the wicked Men 
that had come to kill all the good Folks — And 
there was a great many Capts besides Capt P 
with their Companies — more than a hundred — 
so many that I guess they will beat the wicked 
Men & kill some & make the rest go back 
again* 



2t 



VOL. VIII 

WHEN Capt. P had been gone to fight the 
wicked Men a great while & had gone a great 
way off — He wanted to see his beautif ttl Wife 
& his sweet little Boy very much indeed. So 
Capt P. wrote a letter to her & asked her to 
come & see him & bring her sweet little boy 
along with her^ & so she did* And she came 
pretty near to where all the Men were fight- 
ing ; * & when she heard the Guns a firing, she 
was afraid to go any further & so she stopd at a 
nice house where there was some very good 
Folks lived ; & she asked them if they would let 
her stay there a little while with her little Boy» 
And they said they would — for as I told you 
they were very good Folks* Capt P soon found 
out they were there & He came riding to see 
them as fast as he could & he was very glad in- 
deed to see his beautiful Wife & his sweet little 
Boy. Capt P had been gone so long that his 
little Boy did not know his Pa at first. And so 
he kept looking at Capt P. & winking his pretty 
Eyes a good while. At last he remember'd his 
Papa — & then he did hug him & kiss him & 
was very glad he had found his Papa again for 
he was a beautiful little Fellow. He did not cry 

* Dorchester Heights, near Boston. 

22 



at all unless somethingf hurt him & he would 
mind what his Pa & Ma told him as well as my 
little Boys do their Pa & Ma* And that is very 
well, for you know that you are my little Boys 
& you always mind what your Pa & Ma tell 
you, I suppose, dont you ? Well he was just as 
good as you are, & he would sit still if his Pa or 
Ma bid him ; & he was as pretty as your little 
Brother is & you know I told you his Name was 
A* Capt P's beautiful Wife & little Boy staid 
with those clever Folks a good while & Capt P 
used to go to see them almost all the time when 
the Enemy (the wicked men were the Enemy, 
as sister L* will tell you) were not fighting* 
And sometimes Capt P & his wife would take a 
ride & leave their little pretty Boy A with the 
good nice Folks till they came back again, & he 
would not cry if they 6X<i leave him ; & some- 
times they would carry him with them, & then 
He was very glad & would point & laugh at 
everything he saw as he rode along* One day 
as Capt P & his Lady rode along where they 
could see the Enemy, they fired a Cannon at 
them* You know what a Cannon is, it is such 
a great Gun as you may see up in the Fort at 
Portland, & the shot was as big as your Head 
& heavier than you could lift — & the great 
large shot came close along by the Horse & al- 
most like to have cut his Legs off, but it did not 
hurt Capt P & his Wife because it did not hit 

* Lucia Wadswof th. 

23 



them. Capt P^s Lady was a little scarM when 
she knew the Cannon was fired at her & Capt 
P* & said she guessM they had better ride a little 
faster & get out of the way of their firing* And 
Capt P thot so too, for he had no notion of rid- 
ing with his beautiful Lady where she might 
get kill'd with such a great Shot, nor himself 
neither, when there was no need of it* And so 
Capt P & his Lady rode on a little faster till they 
got out of the way, & then went back another 
road to their sweet little Boy, & he came run- 
ning & was very glad to see them* 

EndofVohVin 



24 



VOL. IX 

WHEN Capt. P's Lady & sweet little Boy had 
lived with those good nice Folks a good while & 
was making a charming Visit & Capt P was so 
happy to have them there where he cottid go & 
see them almost all the time & ride & walk about 
with them in the Orchards & the fields & the 
Gardens & the Hills their sweet little Boy was 
taken sick. He cryM a great deal & they knew 
he was sick because he never cryM when he was 
well, & at last he was quite sick indeed, and 
Capt P. & his Lady were very much concerned 
for their sweet little Boy & so was all the good 
Folks in the House* And it was a Doctors House 
where Lady P. lived, & he was a nice good Man, 
& he tty*d to make little A. well again but he 
could not. And Capt P. got other good Doctors 
& they could not neither. And so that sweet 
little Boy grew worse & worse & was very sick 
indeed. Capt P. & his Wife were very sorry & 
try'd all they could to make their dear little boy 
well again — They sat up with him all Night 
& did not leave him for a whole week, but all 
would not do. The dear little Boy kept growing 
worse & worse & at last was so sick that he 
dy*d — O dear how sorry Capt P. & his Lady 
was I Their sweet little Boy was dead, & they 
had no little Boy to play with, nor to hugh & 

25 



kiss, nof to play about them* The dear little 
Boy was dead* — 

And so Capt* P*s soldiers come, & after the 
little Boy was put into a Coffin, they took it & 
carried it to a Burying place & buried it up in 
the Ground, just as they do in Portland when 
little Boys diCf & Capt P* & his Lady went along 
with the soldiers to the Grave to see them bury 
the Coffin* 

Capt P's soldiers were all very sorry too, for 
they had seen little A, along with his Papa & 
Mama & they all lov^d him dearly for He was 
very pretty as I told you — & he was not afraid 
to go with them anywhere if they would carry 
him — & he was such a sweet little Boy that 
everybody loved him dearly — for you know that 
every body always loves Good Boys — O dear, 
how sorry Capt P & his beautiful wife were to go 
back to the House where the good nice Folks 
lived, without any little Boy to come running to 
them & to play with them — they were so sorry 
they did not know what to do* But they thot 
that their little Boy now he was dead was gone 
to the good Place* You know that all good Folks 
when they diCf & good little Boys & good little 
girls too, go to Heaven — Heaven is the good 
Place — & there they are very happy & they are 
not sick any more & they dont hurt themselves, 
& nothing else does not hurt them — & when 
their Papas & Mamas die, if they are good they 
will go to heaven too & then they will see one 
another again & be all happy — And so Capt P. 

26 



& his beautiful Lady thot that their sweet little 
boy was gone to the Good place to wait for them ; 
& then Lady P. did not cry any more for her 
little Boy — only a little — sometimes — when 
she could not help it — Capt P* & his wife were 
very sober indeed & after Lady P* had stayd a 
little longer with Capt P* she wanted to go back 
to her own home again to see her Mama — And 
so Capt P» could not let his beautiful Wife go 
back alone without her little Boy & so he went 
along with her ; and Capt P« paid the nice good 
Doctor for letting his wife live in his House^ & 
they did not live with him any longer* And so 
Capt P* & his Lady went back to Plymouth a 
great way off — & when Lady P^s mama knew 
the sweet little Boy A* was dead^ she cryM very 
much & so did all the Folks that knew him. 
And I dont wonder if they did — do you ? he 
was such a sweet little Boy I 

And so Capt P* staid a few days at Plymouth 
with his beautiful Wife & then he went back 
again to his Company of nice soldiers* And they 
were very glad to see Capt P* come back again, 
& there was the Drums a beating & the fifes a 
playing & the bright Guns a shining, & the sol- 
diers a marching — & the Enemy a Firing the 
Cannon — but they did not kill Capt P* nor many 
of his nice soldiers — 

End of Vol : IX 



27 



VOL, X 

Phila. J5 Feby 1795 
PRETTY soon after Capt R had got back 
again to the Army, (do my little Boys know what 
an Army is ? An Army is a great Many Com- 
panies of Soldiers all together, as many as would 
fill up all the street from Mr Motleys quite down 
back street'^ — a great many indeed — more than 
ten thousand — sometimes ) well pretty soon after 
Capt P* had got back to the Army & to his Sol- 
diers — then He was a Major — a Major is a 
greater Officer than a Captain, I suppose you 
know ; if you dont sister Z.f or sister B4 must 
tell you. So now I shall call Capt P. Major P, 
because he is got to be Major P* At first he was 
only little Boy P* then he was Master P, & then 
He was Mister P, & then He was Capt P* & now 
He is Major P, just so all little Boys, if they are 
very good, such as you are, will soon get to be 
great Men such as Major P* or some other sort 
of great Men; such as Doctor Deane, Esquire 
Frothingham, Esquire Freeman, or Mr, Printer 

*Now Congress Street in Portland, Me., where General 
"Wadsworth's house still stands, rendered doubly noteworthy 
by the fame of his grandson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

tZilpah. t Betsey — nickname for Elizabeth, 

28 



"Wait, Of Mf» Merchant Storer* or some such 
clever Folks — and that you know is a great 
deal better than to be like some dirty, ragged, 
lazy folks that we see in the streets some times 
& sometimes too they are groggy & cant walk 
straight — I suppose such were naughty when 
they were little, suppose they did not go to school 
very much but had rather run about & play in 
the streets all the time, & were dirty & ragged 
& very bad Boys — And their Papa^s & their 
Mama^s let them do so — And that was naughty 
too, for if they were poor folks you know they 
could send their little Boys & Girls to school for 
all that — & then they could learn & be as good 
Children as if they were not poor — They had 
no need to be naughty because they were poor 
you know — But as I was saying, all little Boys 
can be great good Men when they grow up, if 
they have a mind to — Well now I will tell you 
more about Major P* for the Enemy did not kill 
him tho they shot at him a great many times & 
fired their Cannon at him too, but they could not 
hit him* So after a great while. Major P went a 
great way farther off to fight more of the Enemy, 
to Rhode Island* Then He was a Colonel & 
had a whole Regiment of Soldiers as many as 
Col Cobb has sometimes, when you have seen 
him marching a good many Companies of Sol- 
diers together — It was almost a street fuIL Well 
Col P had as many soldiers in his Regiment, but 

* Prominent Citizens of Portland, 

29 



there was a great many more soldiers besides Col 
P^s, as many as ten thousand, I suppose. There 
was a whole Army — and the Enemy came to 
fight them and they fit a great while, almost a 
whole day,* & they fired a great many Guns & 
Cannon at each other and killd a great many 
Soldiers on both sides but the Enemy got the 
most of their Soldiers fcill'd — some of Col P's 
soldiers got kilVd too, but they did not hurt Col 
P* At last the Enemy were forced to run away 
or else they would all have got kiWd* Dont you 
think it a very wicked thing for soldiers to fight 
& kill one another so ? O how the poor Soldiers 
did look laying all about the Ground — some 
dead & some were not quite dead & could speak, 
& some were crying out because they had got 
their Legs shot off & some their Arms, & some 
had got bullets shot into them as big as your 
Marbles^ & were almost dying, & some had a 
Bayonet run into them & made great Holes & 
the Blood was all runing out, just as when you 
little Boys bleed sometimes when you cut your- 
selves very bad, only a great deal more — and 
almost all the Ground was covered with blood. 
It would be very wicked to fight with the Enemy 
& kill them, if they were good Men & would 
not come to kill us ; but if they will come to kill 
all the good folks & all their Wives & the little 
Children too, you know we must kill them or 
else they will kill us ; that is the reason that it is 
not wicked to kill them, 

* This was the Battle of Rhode Island. 



30 



VOL* XI 

Phik. 15 Feby J795 
WHEN Col P- had done fighting with the 
Enemy at Rhode Island & all that were not 
killed tun away as I told you before* Then He 
went to Plymouth to see his beautiful Wife. 
And now He had got another pretty little Boy 
& two pretty little Girls too, they were all sweet 
pretty* The little Boys name was C* L* and one 
little Girl was named Z & the other E** They 
were beautiful little Children as ever you see* 
C* L* was about as big as George, & he could 
read & speak his Pieces very prettily & all the 
Gent* & Ladies were very much pleased to hear 
him speak his Pieces & they said he was a very 
fine little Boy — I dont know but George can 
speak as well as C* L. could ; & I guess Alexr* 
& SamI* will speak as well as C* L* could, very 
soon, when they grow as big as George is now* 
Col P did not stay long at Plymouth with his 
Wife & their sweet little Children before He 
went to the Eastward a great way off to fight 
the Enemy theret — Now Col P* was a General — 
so now I shall call him GenI* P* — GenI* P* went 

* Charles Lee* Zilpah* Elizabeth* 

t This was the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition. 

3J 



with another General when He went to the east- 
ward to fight the Enemy there. He went along 
with GenI L*^ and GenI L* was an old Man & 
He did not know how to fight very welL And 
GnL L* & GenI. P. went to the eastward in ships 
& Vessels. And they had a great many soldiers 
& a great Ships & Vessels too, more than fifty 
I believe & they were all foil of Soldiers. And 
when GenI L & GenI P had sail^i with all their 
ships & Vessels fwll of Men where the Enemy 
were^t GenI L. told GenI P. that He must take 
all the little Boats & put them f «II of Soldiers out 
of the great Vessels & go to the shore & fight 
the Enemy. And so he did ; & when GenI. P. 
went with a great many little Boats full of sol- 
diers to one Place where the Enemy were, when 
they see him close there, they did not stop to 
fight, but all run away & left all their Cannon 
& they left their Colours too — you know what 
Soldiers Colours are — such as Col. Cobbs Soldiers 
have when He marches his Regiment along by 
our Door. Well GenI. P. took all their Cannon 
& their Colours too — And then GenI P went 
back again with all his little Boats full of soldiers 
to GenI. L. on board the great Vessels & told 

* Gen^I Solomon Lovell. Wm. Hotchinst who was a boy 
at the time of the Penobscot Expedition, says : ** I saw both 
Lovell and Wadsworth. I did not like the appearance of 
Lovell very mwch, but Wadsworth was a beautiful man, if it 
is proper to call a man beautiful.*' 

t To Bagaduce — now called Castine. 
32 



GenL L, that the Enemy all fun away & left 
their Fort & he took their Cannon & Colours. 
And GenL L» told GenL P, it was very well, & 
said He must go & fight the Enemy again at 
another place where the Enemy had got a larger 
Fort & more Men — It was Night now* So 
when it began to grow light in the morning, 
(very early before you little Boys wake up) 
GenL P* took more little Boats than He had before 
& more soldiers too & filled all the little Boats 
full & as soon as it was light enough, he went 
to another place, where the Enemy were — And 
there was a great high Bank on the shore & all 
the Bank was covered with the Enemy there was 
so many* And they fit with GenL P. & his 
soldiers very hard* And when GenL P* & his 
soldiers had got on the shore the Enemy fit them 
a great while & kil^d & wounded a great many 
of GenI P**s soldiers — before GenL P* & his Men 
could get up the Bank — By & by they got up 
& then they made the Enemy run, & GenL P* 
kilVd some of them & catchM some & all the 
rest of the Enemy run & got into their Fort * 
& began to fire their Cannon at GenI P & his 
soldiers — And then GenL P* told his Men to 
stop; because He had not soldiers enough & 
fight the Enemy in their great Fort, so as to 
take it* And so GenL P* was forced to stop & 
then GenL L* with all his army came on shore 
to GenL P* & just as GenL L* & GenL P. were 

* Fort George at Castine* 

33 



going to fight the Enemy in their great Fort^ 
they saw a great many large ships a coming — & 
when they came a little nearer they saw they were 
the Enemy's ships all fwll of Men* And so now 
GenL L* & GenL P» were forced to run away or 
else they & all their Soldiers would get fcill'dt iot 
the Enemies ships were larger than their ships & 
they had more Men too — And as soon as it was 
dark night again GenL L. & GenL P. put all 
their soldiers into the little Boats & went on 
board their own Vessels & ships again, before 
the enemy knew it.* 



* The most creditable part of the inglorious Penobscot Ex- 
pedition is said to have been the retreat which was conducted 
by Genl. Wadsworth. 

34 



VOL: Xn 

Phila. 22 Feb J795. 
AS I told you the Enemys ships were much 
larger than GenL L. & GenI* P's. & they had a 
great many more Men too & so GenL L, & P» 
were forced to run away & put their Soldiers on 
board their Vessels when it was night — As soon 
as it was morning the Enemy with their Great 
Ships full of Men & Great Guns had got close to 
GenI L. & P's little ships & they were forced to 
sail away from them as fast as they could — 
And they sailed up a river * & the Enemy sailed 
after them very fast* And when GenL L* & 
GenL P* had got to the End of the River, they 
let all their soldiers go on shore into the Woods 
& GenL L* & P. were forced to set fire to all 
their own ships & Vessels, or else the Enemy 
would have got them for their own* And that 
you know would be worse than to burn them, 
for then they could come in our Vessels to kill 
the good Folks you know And so all GenI L 
& P*s fine ships & Vessels were all burnt up — 
O dear what a bad sight, to see so many good 
nice Vessels all a Burning up at once, to keep 
the Enemy from getting them for their own — 

* The Penobscot* 

35 



And so GenI L & P & all their soldiers that were 
not kiird were forced to run into the woods — 
And a great many of them got lost & cowld not 
find the way towards their home for a long time 
GenL L. got lost too — but GenL P* did not get 
lost for he knew the way & he got a good many 
of his soldiers along with him too. But they had 
no victuals to eat* And that was very bad you 
know for the poor soldiers that were lost not to 
have anything to eat & be lost too — for they 
would starve after a while, they would be so 
hungry — You know how bad it feels to be hun- 
gry dont you ? But then you can go to your 
Mama for a Piece of Bread & butter, but the 
poor soldiers that were lost in the woods had not 
even a Crust & they were so hungry that they 
were forced to kill the Dogs & skin them & 
eat them, they were so very hungry* There 
was some Boys too about as big as Jack & 
Harry; poor poor little Fellows, how hungry 
they must be to be a whole week in the Woods 
with out anything to eat but a little piece of a 
Dog* If you had seen them I dare say you would 
have given them all your own Dinner, & have 
gone without yourself till supper time, rather 
than they should be so hungry & starved. But 
GenI P* as I told you knew the way & he did not 
get lost & he showM his soldiers that were with 
him which way to go — & so He & his soldiers 
got to where there was some good Folks lived 
the next day, and after GenL P* & his soldiers 
had staid there a week or two & had found a 



36 



good many of the soldiers that were lost & 
almost starved, GenL P. went home to see his 
beautiful wife & his sweet little Children, little 
C« L* & Z, & E* They were very glad to see 
one another for GenI P's wife had heard that 
Genl. P» & all his soldiers were kilVd by the 
Enemy* But they were not. GenL L. was lost 
for a great while, at last some good Indians found 
him in the Woods & gave him some of their 
Victuals & at last brot him to his home — When 
GenL P* had staid along with his Wife & his 
little Children a little while, then He went to the 
Eastward again with more soldiers to keep the 
Enemy from killing the good Folks that lived 
there* — & when He had been there a good 
while He wanted his beautiful wife should come 
& live with him & so he went & fetched her to 
stay with him, because there was no enemy very 
near to fight with them — if there had been you 
know, it may be, they might kill her too* And 
he fetched his little Boy C* L* & his little girl E* 
along with their Mama — He did not fetch little 
Z, she staid at home with her Grandmama And 
so now GenL P. had no other General with him, 
but he had his soldiers, & he had his beautiful 
wife & his pretty little Boy C* L* & his sweet 
pretty little girl E* — & she was a sweet pretty 
little Girl indeed* And they all staid at the 



* He was appointed Adjutant General by the State of 
Massachusetts and in J 780 put in command of the whole 
coast of Maine. 



37 



Eastward* a great while — till the soldiers all 
went home & left them, because they had staid 
as long as they said they would* 



* At Thomaston, Maine. 

38 



VOL: Xni 

Phila. 22 Feby 1795 - 
AND so when GenI P's soldiers were all gone 
He had no men left only the good Folks that 
lived neat to the House where He & his Lady 
& his little Children were* It was Winter now 
& GenL F* did not think the Enemy would ven- 
ture to come a great Way to fight him when the 
snow was so very deep* It was as deep as Harry's 
head & nobody could go about, only in the Path, 
because the snow was so very deep. And so 
some of the Good Men that lived near GenL P. 
used to come to his House every Night & bring 
their Guns so as to fight the Enemy if they 
should come in the Night to kill GenL P. & his 
Wife & his pretty little Boy & Girl — One 
nightt* & it was a very cold Night, & the snow 
was very deep as I told you, the Enemy came 
sure enough. And they fir'd their Guns into 
the Windows & Doors, & they cut with their 
swords & broke out all the Windows & they 
broke the Doors too, & got into all the House 
only the Room where GenL P. & his Lady was, 
& they broke the Windows & Doors of that too 
& they kept firing their Guns into the room 
where GenI P & his Lady was — & his Lady 

♦February J8, J78K 

39 



was very scared & did scream, whilst GenL P* 
was fifing: his Gun & his Pistols at them & by 
& by Lady P* tan out of the Room to get out 
of the Way of the Guns & there was another 
yottng Lady in the other Room & she was 
screaming too because she thot the Enemy would 
kill us all** And they kept firing into GenI P's 
room as fast as they could fire to kill him, till at 
last they shot his arm thro with a Bullet & then 
GenL P* could not fight them any more because 
he could not fight with only one hand, when 
t'other was shot* And then GenL P*— told them 
that he would not fight them any more then, & 
so he opened the Door & let them come into the 
room* And as soon as they had got in they were 
going to kill GenL P, because he had fit them so 
much & had shot three of their wicked Men — 
but they did not kill him* Only He was almost 
dead already; for they had shot a great Hole 
thro his arm & the Blood run out as much as it 
does when any Body sticks a great knife into a 
Hogs Neck in our yard when they go to kill it* 
Well just so the Blood run out of GenL P*s arm* 
And the Enemy said they would not kill GenL 
P then, but they would carry him away with 
them — & so they helped him on with some 
clothes & took a Blanket off the bed to put over 
him because they could not put on his Coat 
because of his arm that was shot, & away they 
carried him — & General P*s Wife, & the young 

* This is the first and only lapse from the third person* 

40 



Lady & the Maid, with the sweet little Gifl E* 
in her arms came into the Room Just as they 
were carrying GenL P* away — but GenL P did 
not see his little Boy C* L, & he thot he had 
been kill'd by the firing of so many Guns* And 
GenL P* could not speak to his Wife nor any of 
his folks, only to say good Bye, for they took 
him & carried him right away — & left the 
house all broke to pieces, & poor old Hickey,* 
he was shot & lay upon the Floor, & the house 
was all over blood & there was GenI P's beauti- 
ful "Wife & his family all left in this bad situa- 
tion when the "Weather was so cold, & she thot 
Her husband was kill'd too ( GenI P was her 
Husband you know ) — for she thot he would 
blead all his Blood out & be dead — But the good 
folks come to her pretty soon & helped her to 
mend up the "Windows & doors & made up a 
good fire & made the House warm again* But, 
O dear, her Husband was carried off by the 
Enemy & she thot He would die of his wound 
& she should never see him again and his little 
Children would never see their Papa again 
neither. And the Enemy carried GenI P* to 
their Fort t a great way off & there they kept 
him shut up for a great while, & they let a good 
doctor come to see him & dress his sore Arm, & 

*One of GenI. "Wadsworth's soldiers who served him 
faithfully all his days. 

t This was Fort George, at Castine, Maine, then known 
as Bagadtfce. 



4J 



at last it got well again — And aftet a great 
while when it come warm weather the Enemy- 
sent little Boat to GenI P's Lady & told her they 
would let her come & see GenL ?♦ if she had a 
mind to, & they would not hurt her — & so she 
did & GenL P. was very glad indeed to see his 
beautiful Wife — & so was she glad to see him 
too, and she told him that his pretty little Boy 
C L was not killed by the firing as GenL P» thot 
he had been — and He was very glad indeed* 
When Lady P* had stayM a few days* with 
GenL P* the Enemy let her go back again, but 
they kept GenL P in prison* 



* Mrs. Wadswofth and Mrs. Fcnno stayed ten days at Fort 
George. 

42 



VOL: XIV 

PhiIa.23Fefa: 1795 
WHEN Lady P went back again to her 
broken House where GenL P. was shot, it was 
good warm weather, & she took her little Boy 
C L* & her little Girl £♦ & the young Lady & 
the Maid & went to her own home at Plymouth 
to see her tother little Girl Z* that was left with 
her Grandmama — and before she had got quite 
there ( for it took her a great while to go so far ) 
Genl^ P* got out of prison & run away from the 
Enemy & overtook his beautiful Wife with his 
sweet little Girl E* — just before they had got to 
Plymouth — O how glad they all were ! 

I can tell my little Boys a great long story 
about how GenI* P. got away from the Enemy, 
when I have time enough — It is a very good 
story too, & it is a certain story — it is true — 
but I cant tell it to you now — but if you are 
ood Boys enough — may be I will write it in a 
ook sometime or other — * 



* Unfortunately he never did this, but when Dr. Timothy 
Dwight visited Portland in 1796, Genl. Wadsworth gave him 
by word of mouth a full account of his capture at Thomas- 
ton and his perilous escape from the enemy's Fort at Castine, 
which account can be found in the second volume of 
'*Dwight's Travels" published in New Haven, t821. 

43 



So GenI P was very glad to find his Wife & 
Family again & they all went to Plymouth to- 
gether & the Folks were all very glad to see 
them too, & there they met their other pretty lit- 
tle Girl Z» with her Grandmama, & she was 
very pretty too & they all livd there a good 
while & were very happy — And GenL P» did 
not go to fight the Enemy any more for they all 
went away to their Homes & did not want to 
fight any more — & so the War was done — if 
you dont know what the War is Zilpah must 
tell you* When GenI P had lived at Plymouth 
a good while He took his beautiful Wife & all 
his little Boys & Girls & all his things & put 
them on board a Vessel & sail^ away to Port- 
land with them all — And there GenI P* built a 
House * & lived in it with all his little Boys & 
Girls & his Wife too* And he had a shop & 
sold a great many things & got a good lot of 
Money too ; but he had so many little Boys & 
Girls to buy Victuals & Clothes for, that it took 
it almost all away again — but he had enough 
for them tho — 

When GenL P. & his Lady had lived at Port- 
land a good while, they had four more pretty lit- 
tle Boys — their Names were G* & A* S* & S* B. 
& little p* & they were all very good little Boys 
as all the Gents* & Ladies always said when 

* This house Tvas donated by Mrs, Anne Longfellow^ 
Pierce in 1 90 J to the Maine Historical Society and is pre- 
served as a memorial of the Wadsworth and Longfellow fam- 
ilies. 



44 



they came to see GenL P* & his Lady — And 
then GenL F* went to Congress — just as your 
Papa did* And then He went home again to 
Portland to see his Lady & all his little Boys & 
Girls & He was very glad to see them & so were 
they glad to see their Papa just as you are to see 
your Papa when he comes home from Congress 
— Are not you very glad to see him ? & will 
you not be very good boys when he comes ? but 
I think that my little Boys are very good all the 
time — if I am gone, or if I am at home — I 
know they mind their Mama & try to behave 
as well as they can — for I have heard that my 
little Boys have been very good indeed — some- 
times — since I have been gone — 



45 



VOL: XV 

Phila 22 Feby J795 
AFTER a while GenI P. went to Congress 
again — GenI P & his Lady have got a great 
many Boys & Girls by this time I guess* let us 
try to reckon them up — the first pretty little 
Boy A* died* The next was C* L» & then there 
was two little Girls Z & E* & then there was 
another little Boy & he was namM J* & then 
there was another little Girl & she was nam'd L* 
& then there was H* & G, & A S* & S B* & 
little p* and that makes seven Boys & three 
Girls — I guess some of them are grown up 
almost by this time* GenI P & his wife could 
not have so many little Boys & Girls all at Once ; 
because some of the oldest would be grown bigger 
— I guess C L is as big as Charles & Z is as big 
as Zilpah & E is for Eliza* or Betsey & J is for 
Jack, L for Lucia & H for Harry — & G is for 
George & A S* is for Alexr S* & S B is for SamI 
B* & little p is for little Peleg* And now my 
pretty little Boys do any of you know who GenI 
P is* He lives in Portland as I told you* 
Do you know SamI who GenI P* is ? 
SamL I dont know who tis — 
Do you know Alexr who GenI P is ? 
I don't know — Pa* 



46 



** O ( says George ) it is our Pa, & we are his 
little boys ! & there is Jack & Harry & Lucia & 
all the rest of us ! & here is pretty little p too, 
a'nt yout Dear, & Ma is Gen. P's beautiful wife, 
a'nt you Ma ? '' 

Well my dear, I suppose I am, do you love me 
the better for it?'' 

cAtexander Was Little Boy P our Pa ? " 

George ** Yes, When Little Boy P. Had grown 
a little bigger then he was Master P* & then he 
was Mr* P* & then he was Capt* P* & then a 
Major then a CoL & then a General and no<w he 
is our Papa* 



47 



NOTES. 

The cut on the title page is taken from a little 
book, now rare, entitled '* Military Heroes of 
America/' kindly lent by Mr* Usher W. Cutts, 
of Orange, N. J* 

The following letter may be of interest to the 
historians : 

Hiram 1 7th July, J827. 
Dear Sir, 

Observing your advertisement in the Columbian Centinet 
of nth last, requesting surviving Officers of the Revolution- 
ary army, of the State of Massachusetts & of Maine to for- 
ward to you their rank in J 780 &c. In compliance I have 
sketched the following — tho' I do not know whether I come 
within your request, as I was not of the Line of the Continen- 
tal army after the two first years of the "War — I was a 
Captain in Cottons & Baileys Regt's the two first years & 
was Aid De Camp to Gen^ Ward as long as he continued in 
the service, which I believe was till the year J 777, with the 
rank of Major. Afterwards, I was in the continental service 
( as it was called ) under the appointment of the Legislature 
of Massachusetts — was second in command with Gen^ Lov- 
ell on the inglorious Penobscot Expedition, J 778, with the 
rank of Brigadier Gen^ j the next year, vis, 1779 had the 
command of the whole coast of the District of Maine, by the 
same authority, at the Close of which or rather the beginning 
of J 780, 1 was taken Prisoner { as you may see by looking at 
2 JO page of Rev«i Charles A. Goodriches History of U. S) 
After that I was not in Military service. I was 32 years Old 
when appointed a Brig"" Gen^ by the Gov & Council and 
lived in Boston at that time, mov*d to Portland in 1784 & to 
Hiram in 1807, where I now reside & am in my 80th year. 



48 



I know of no widows of the Description you mention, nor do 
I know for what purpose you have requested the above — 
but as the motive is no doubt benevolent, I cheerfully sub- 
scribe myself your friend and serv* — 

Peleg Wadsworth, 
Alden Bradford, Esq. 

A Copy — 



49 



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